Collaborative Research on Distributed Control and Communication Design for Networked Dynamic Systems

这是加州大学伯克利分校和斯坦福大学之间的一个合作研究项目，旨在开发一种有效的分析方法，用于设计控制系统，其中一些反馈回路通过无线通信链路关闭。提议的工作是两个非常不同的研究领域之间的跨学科努力：无线通信和控制理论。这项工作将对许多无线通信开始出现的领域产生重大影响，例如交通、制造和遥感应用。大多数当前的控制器设计都假设传感器和执行器与中央逻辑系统之间的通信是通过硬连线完成的，提供了本质上完美的传输。因此，控制器设计通常假定没有速率限制、延迟或信息丢失。然而，在许多应用中，这种通信必须在不完美的无线链路上进行，而这些不完美可能导致性能损失甚至不稳定。目前还没有统一的理论来设计使用无线链路的闭环控制系统。这一建议旨在发展这样一种理论。提出的工作的第一阶段将侧重于描述携带传感器、执行器和控制信息的通信网络，包括其速率约束、延迟和丢包统计。下一阶段将研究控制器和通信系统的联合优化。研究结果将在通信和控制会议上提出。最终结果将被纳入高级研究生课程。这个项目的一个非常重要的方面是本科生参与研究。加州大学伯克利分校和斯坦福大学都有活跃的本科生研究机会计划。通信/控制领域对本科生非常有吸引力，由于其跨学科性质和影响现实世界问题的潜力，预计本科生将参与该项目。

This is a collaborative research project between UC Berkeley and Stanford University to develop a validated analytical methodology for designing control systems where some of the feedback loops are closed over wireless communication links. The proposed work is an interdisciplinary effort between two very disparate research areas: wireless communications and control theory. This work will have a great impact on many fields where wireless communication is beginning to see an increasing presence such as transportation, manufacturing and remote sensing applications.Most current controller designs assume that communication between the sensors and actuators and the central logic system is done over hard-wired lines providing essentially perfect transmission. Thus, the controller design typically assumes no rate constraints, delay, or loss of information. However, there are many applications where this communication must take place over imperfect wireless links where these imperfections can lead to loss of performance and even instability. There currently exists no unified theory for the design of closed loop control systems using wireless links. This proposal is aimed at developing such a theory.The first stage of the proposed work will focus on characterizing the communications network carrying the sensor, actuator, and control information in terms of its rate constraints, and delay and packet loss statistics. The next stage will investigate joint optimization of the controller and communication system.The research results will be presented at both communications and controls conferences. The final results will be incorporated into advanced graduate courses. A very important aspect of this project is the involvement of undergraduate students in the research. Both UC Berkeley and Stanford have active UROP (Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programs). The area of communication/control is very attractive to undergraduates and it is anticipated that undergraduates will participate in the project due to its interdisciplinary nature and its potential to impact real world problems.